Supporting a loved one
Understanding what your loved one is going through is the start of the best support you can give them. There are many types of loss and the information below will help you support your loved one.
Miscarriage
A miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy. Miscarriage is a naturally occurring event, unlike medical or surgical abortions. There are different types of miscarriage;
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Chemical pregnancy - a very early miscarriage ending before 5 weeks.
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Missed miscarriage - the baby has died/not developed but the body continues to believe it is pregnant and have symptoms. These are discovered at routine scans.
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Blighted ovum - the cells of a baby stop developing early on, and the embryo is reabsorbed. The pregnancy sac continues to grow.
Stillbirth
A stillbirth is the death or loss of a baby before or during delivery.
Stillbirth is further classified;
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An early stillbirth is a fetal death occurring between 20 and 27 completed weeks of pregnancy.
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A late stillbirth occurs between 28 and 36 completed pregnancy weeks.
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A term stillbirth occurs between 37 or more completed pregnancy weeks.
Neonatal Death
A neonatal death (also called a newborn death) is when a baby dies during the first 28 days of life. Most neonatal deaths happen in the first week after birth.
Abortion
TFMR
Termination for Medical Reasons, or TFMR, is when a pregnancy is terminated due to a chromosomal, genetic or structural fetal abnormality, or where continuing the pregnancy would risk the health or life of the mother.
Birth Trauma
'Birth trauma' is distress experienced by a mother during or after childbirth. Trauma can be physical, emotional and psychological. It does not refer to just the labour experience but also how the mother feels after the birth.
Hysterectomy
A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the womb (uterus). Following a hysterectomy the woman is no longer able to get pregnant. For some ladies, they experience emergency hysterectomies following complications with a pregnancy and need support to process this loss of both their baby and also any future dreams of having a child.
Early Childhood Death
This is where a child dies and the family need support to process this loss. It will affect the parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family and friends.
Death of a Multiple
This is when multiple babies are born at the same time (twins, triplets etc) and one passes away. The parents then have the experience of grieving whilst also providing for the remaining baby/babies.
Infertility
Infertility is defined as not being able to get pregnant despite having frequent, unprotected sex for at least a year for most couples.
Infertility may result from an issue with either partners, or a combination of factors that prevent pregnancy.
IVF
IVF is a method of assisted reproduction in which a man’s sperm and a woman’s eggs are combined outside of the body in a laboratory dish. One or more fertilized eggs (embryos) may be transferred into the woman’s uterus, where they may implant in the uterine lining and develop.
Post Natal Depression
Postnatal depression is a type of depression that many parents experience after having a baby.
It's a common problem, affecting more than 1 in every 10 women within a year of giving birth. It can also affect fathers and partners.
Anxiety around getting pregnant again
Some ladies after a loss, feel anxious about getting pregnant again. Whether they have had a miscarriage or a stillbirth, the worry about getting pregnant again is very real and can impact their desire to get pregnant again for fear of losing again
Recurrent Miscarriage
Recurrent miscarriage is when a woman has had three or more miscarriages in a row, whether or not you have had any healthy pregnancies.